Tesla wows East Lothian pupils in STEM career drive

Tesla, the electric vehicle company, wowed East Lothian school pupils this week with a demonstration of their latest model, as part of an initiative to inspire young people to consider STEM careers.

Around 60 young people from each of the county’s secondary schools attended the event which was organised by East Lothian Works, East Lothian’s employability hub.

Tesla employees including Technician Oliver Hood, an ex-Ross High School pupil, welcomed the young people and talked about his journey into engineering since leaving school. Pupils heard about what career pathways and qualifications are needed to pursue a career in the industry and to work for Tesla in particular.

Pupils enjoyed a demonstration of the Model X electric car, which can travel up to 351miles on a single charge, but a network of Superchargers means drivers can cover zero tail pipe emission electric miles all over Europe from northern Norway to Southern Spain.

The event, which took place at Musselburgh Grammar School, follows a series of events organised by East Lothian Works that aim to inspire young people to consider Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subject areas and associated careers. Many of the young people attending had previously participated in East Lothian Works’ Girls Into STEM initiative or are involved with young engineering groups in school.

Alison Hood, Team Leader at East Lothian Works said:
“Our STEM events aim to inspire young people, and girls in particular, to consider different careers and pathways. We’re really trying to quash the idea some young people have that careers in science and engineering are not for them, and it’s really important that we challenge gender stereotypes – STEM is for everyone.

“I want to say a huge thank you to Tesla for coming and speaking to our young people – it was really inspiring to hear about the vast opportunities that STEM careers offer. The young people were really engaged and enjoyed the car demonstration in particular – showing that engineering is not only incredibly relevant in the modern world, but that it can be fun too.”

The Tesla event follows the success of similar events as part of a joint initiative between East Lothian Works with Regional Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce and Skills Development Scotland.